The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat

by John Bradshaw, Rachel Casey, Sarah Brown

The behaviour of domesticated animals is a subject of great importance to students of animal behaviour and veterinary medicine, as well as interested pet owners. This book presents an engaging overview of the behaviour of the domestic cat, adopting both a mechanistic and functional approach. Physiological, developmental and psychological aspects are addressed, including domestication, the development of the senses, learning, communication and feeding behaviour. The authors build on these themes to discuss social behaviour, hunting and predation, cat-human interactions and welfare. Fully updated throughout, this new edition also includes two new chapters on behavioural disorders due to pathologies and from misdirected natural behaviour. It is an essential source of cat behaviour information for students, ethologists, veterinarians and pet owners.

Genres: Cats, Science, Animals, Nonfiction, Dogs

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

John Bradshaw is Foundation Director of the Anthrozoology Institute at the University of Bristol. He lives in Southampton, England.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Błażej · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly written, and with loads of references, the book’s a perfect go-to for anyone who wants to dip their fingers in the topic. With that said, however, the overarching outlook on cats is hopelessly mechanistic and can serve as a poster example of how unwieldy behavioral science is in understanding living creatures. Anyone who opens up this book hoping to better understand the umwelt of cats, will not be satisfied. Nevertherless, it's a solid starting point.

[Lindsay Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent textbook, but not light reading. There is an enormous amount of information, and the facts here are presented in a logical way. Incredible lode of learning, just don't expect a light and engaging read!